


didn’t know what I was in for

by Sadie_B



Category: Bridgerton (TV), Bridgerton Series - Julia Quinn
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bridgertons Being Bridgertons, Canon Compliant, F/M, Family Bonding, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Idiots in Love, Implied Polin, Meet the Family, No beta we die like Edmund, Siblings, that’s love bitch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:13:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28630824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadie_B/pseuds/Sadie_B
Summary: It would be fair to say the announcement of Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sheffield’s engagement was an eventful evening for all involved.or, what really happened at Aubrey Hall that night.
Relationships: Anthony Bridgerton/Kate Sharma, Anthony Bridgerton/Kate Sheffield, Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington, Daphne Bridgerton/Simon Basset
Comments: 126
Kudos: 653





	1. let us see the swish

Katharine Sheffield was engaged. 

Engaged. Betrothed. Soon to be wed. 

_ Her,  _ Kate Sheffield, future spinster. She was getting married. To a man. A human one. And not just any man, a viscount, no less. The most eligible bachelor of the season. True, he was also the biggest rake in all of London, but nobody’s perfect.

No-one knew this of course. Well, except for Kate. And the rake in question. And said rake’s mother. And her step-mother. 

And, for some reason, Portia Featherington of all people. 

But other than those five, the news of her impromptu engagement to Lord Anthony Bridgerton was being kept under lock and key. As was Kate. She had been practically caged her guest room at Aubrey Hall until supper, for fear of yet another “incident” prior to the official announcement that night. The last thing they needed was for more fuel to be added to the fire. Kate wanted to point out that, if that was really their concern, then Anthony was the one that needed to be supervised. He had started it after all. But, knowing better, she kept that thought to herself. 

It was all still so surreal. Despite Anthony’s affirmations in the garden, there was nothing to bind him to the agreement other than his words. And no matter how lovely or passionate they may have been, that was all they were. Words. There was nothing to prevent him from calling the whole affair off. How long until he came to his senses?

Kate dare not voice any of these concerns to Mary, of course. She would not hear a word of it. As far as her stepmother was concerned, today had been a triumph. Nothing was going to burst her bubble, not even the daughter who was getting married. 

So there Kate was. In her bedroom, getting ready to be thrown to the wolves. “Remind me why Edwina is not joining us again?” She yelled.

“She went downstairs with the Featheringtons.” Mary called back through the closed door that connected the girl’s room to her’s. “Never mind that, come out and let me see you.”

Maybe it was better that Edwina wasn’t here to see this. Kate still had no idea how to explain any of this to her. Her governess had never exactly taught her how to tell your sister that you accidentally stole her fiancé.

Well, at least the dress was pretty. Her fingers fiddled with the white cotton as she examined herself in the mirror. She should’ve thought as much, it was the nicest thing she owned. That’s why she had worn it to Queen Charlotte’s Ball, not that any eyes had been on her that day. The fabric was adorned with leaves of metallic gold thread from top to bottom. It practically glistened in the light. Meanwhile, the sweetheart cut of the neckline helped create the illusion of having an ample set of breasts, or “bubbies”, as Mrs Featherington had so aptly called them. Her thick brown hair was combed smoothly up behind her, falling upon the crown of her head in a full cluster of curls; a pearl tiara separating it from the front, which fell into loose ringlets. She might have even been so bold as to say that she looked nice. Pretty, even. 

Kate supposed that she would be as ready as she could ever be. Unable to avoid the inevitable any longer, she went to the door and walked out. Mary gasped at the sight of her, hands clasped in awe. “Well, aren’t you just as beautiful as a midsummer’s day?” She made a giddy circular motion with her finger. “Turn around, let us see the swish.” With a bemused smile, Kate obliged and gave a half-hearted spin. Mary shook her in head in approval. “Perfect, his lordship will not even know what hit him.”

If she noticed how Kate had winced at that last comment, she did not let on. Instead, Mary was already crossing the room to go to her vanity. “Goodness! I almost forgot.” She pulled a small box out of the top drawer and held it up for Kate to see. “Now, I know it is nothing compared to whatever engagement presents that Lady Bridgerton will no doubt give you, but I wanted you to have these.”

Curious now, Kate crossed the room to join her. Inside the box was a set of earrings, two teardrop-shaped pears hanging off of a simple gold hoop. “Oh Mary, they’re beautiful, thank you.”

“They were a wedding gift from your father.” She explained as she began to pin them onto Kate’s ears. “You always used to play with them when you were a girl.” Mr Sheffield had tried to warn his new bride at the time that his daughter was a grabber, but Mary would not hear one word of it. Kate obviously just had excellent taste in accoutrements, she had told him. The stinging of her earlobes was just an unfortunate byproduct of the young girl’s passion for jewellery. 

Kate leant forward to examine her gift in the mirror. They really were splendid. Simple but elegant; Mary really did know her well. It was then that Kate realised that she had gone uncharacteristically quiet. In the corner of her eye, she saw Mary’s reflection, a hand clasped over her mouth, fighting back tears. She turned frantically. “Mary? What is it? Is something the matter?”

“No, you look wonderful. Everything is wonderful. It’s just...” She let out a heavy sigh, struggling to find the words. “I simply wish that he was here to see this.”

It was clear who she was thinking of. Kate would be lying if she said the thought had not crossed her mind. What would Papa make of all this? Well, for one thing, he would probably have given Anthony a black eye. Any man who even looked at the late Mr Sheffield’s daughters the wrong way would’ve lived to rue the day. Kate had to have got her tempestuous nature from somewhere after all. She almost chuckled at the thought. “He is.”

Mary made no attempt to hide the watering of her eyes nor the lump in her throat. Instead, she raised her hand to Kate’s cheek and smiled wistfully. “My darling girl.” Kate did not reply, merely clasped Mary’s hand in hers, turned, and pressed a kiss to its palm. Nothing more needed to be said. The look in her eye was all the proof she needed. How lucky she had been, to have been blessed with two mothers that loved her. 

But now was the not the time for waterworks. There was far too much work to be done. “No time for that.” Mary grabbed her by the shoulders and began pushing her out the room. “This is a joyful day.” As she opened the door, she gave Kate’s shoulders a loving jostle. 

“Let us go get you engaged, shall we?”


	2. in for a penny, in for a pound

Where the bloody hell was she?

There was being fashionably late and then there was being just plain rude. Anthony Bridgerton should know, he had mastered both. He frantically checked his watch once again, she should have been there ten minutes ago. What sort of woman was late to her own engagement dinner? An impertinent one, that’s who. 

Perhaps she was still angry about being stowed away in her bedroom lest there be another “incident”? He could not say that he hardly blamed her, he too failed to see how anyone could have honestly believed that Kate had been the instigator of their little entanglement. Under different circumstances, he might even have been offended by the implication. A man had nothing if not his rakish reputation. 

But that hardly seemed a good enough reason to just abandon the evening all together. If she really was mad at him, why not tell him in person? That was her usual tactic. Berating him would be a considerable improvement to leaving him in the lurch. Why he had half a mind to march up to Kate’s room and ask her exactly what game she was playing at. Give the girl a taste of her own medicine. Barge right in there and really-

Oh wait, there she was.

As if on cue, Kate appeared in the doorway, Mrs Sheffield not far behind her. The girl was a vision in white and gold, her hair held up in a halo of pearls. She looked so regal, so serene. The perfect bride. 

Before he could dwell on that thought any further, his sister was already prodding him on the arm. “Did you hear me?”

“Pardon?” He turned his head, eyes still fixed on Kate. 

Daphne merely gave him an exasperated sigh. Typical. “I said, it is nice to see that our Kate is feeling better, would you not agree?

He had been so focused on his missing betrothed that he had totally lost track of his conversation with Simon and Daphne about, well, whatever it was about. Babies? Turnips? Who knows? “Uh, yes, of course.” He murmured to himself, still paying only half attention to the two. 

She was looking across the room now, her eyes darting frantically back and forth between the sea of faces. Some childish voice in the back of his head suggested that perhaps the face she was searching for was his. But he quickly snuffed that out. Such thinking was dangerous, especially on a night like this. Matters were complicated enough as they were, the last thing he was needed was to let his mind go down that road. 

Daphne did not seem to notice what was distracting her brother so. “I think it would be fair to say that her presence was sorely missed. I was rather looking forward to witnessing a rematch between the two of you today.” Again, no reply. 

It was Simon who first noticed the shift in his demeanour. You aren’t friends with someone for over a decade without being able to notice when things are amiss. Especially when it came to eligible young women. “The two of you have struck up an unlikely acquaintanceship of sorts, have you not?” He asked, perfectly toeing the line between inquisitive and accusatory. 

At last, her eye’s landed on him. Her entire face lit up as she graced him with the softest of smiles. And, for the tiniest moment, he felt as they were the only two people in the room. As quick as she had done, she had looked away, distracted by a comment from a passerby. A compliment no doubt. “Yes, that is one way to describe it.”

Finally, he turned to look at them, only to say, “If you would excuse me, dear sister, I have just remembered that I have an urgent matter to attend to.”

And before Daphne had the chance to even wish him adieu, he was gone, leaving her utterly clueless as to what just took place. She turned to her husband, hoping to gain some insight into the strange turn of events that had just transpired. “What on earth do you suppose that was about?”

Alas, he could not. All he could do was watch Anthony as he made his way across the floor. He shrugged and linked his arm with her’s, taking her hand lovingly in his own. “I am not sure, my love. Although I do have the sneaking suspicion that I may have to speak to Fran about changing my odds.”

Daphne frowned, no longer following him. “What?”

Blast, he had already said too much. “What?”

* * *

Oh, bollocks, there he was. Wait, this was his house, of course he was there. 

He was moving towards her now. Did he want to talk to speak to her? Why would he want to speak to her? Maybe he had already changed his mind. Maybe he had come to his senses and was about to tell her the whole thing was off. Maybe he had-

No, not now. She was not going to let herself fall down that existential rabbit-hole. That was the last thing she needed right now. They were engaged, he had said as much in the gazebo. 

Oh Lord, the _gazebo_. She had almost forgot about the gazebo. Is that what he wanted to speak to her about. Was he about to give her notes? Is that a thing men did? It isn’t like she had had much time to prepare. 

“Miss Sheffield!”

Oh thank heavens, it was Colin. He would make an excellent buffer. Surely Anthony would not break his vow and abandon her in front of his own brother, would he?

However, it would seem that he would not have to. As luck would have it, it was at that moment that Eloise Bridgerton decided to intercept him on his way though the crowd, no doubt complaining about their mother’s latest match-making attempts. Kate would be sure to thank her later. 

Oblivious to all this, Colin offered her his arm. “There is someone that you simply have to meet.” With one last glimpse over her shoulder, she took the third Bridgerton’s arm and seized the opportunity to disappear into the crowd. 

It took no time to reach their destination, as they approached a tall, dark-haired gentleman dressed in navy blue. No introduction was necessary, with a resemblance like that, there was only one person that it could be. “Benedict, I found her!”

Colin went to join his brother by his side. Goodness, Lady Whistledown was right, they were the spitting image of each other. How on earth did Lady Bridgerton ever manage to tell them apart? “Miss Sheffield, may I introduce my older brother Benedict Bridgerton. Brother, this is Miss Sheffield.”

She promptly curtsied. “Pleasure to meet you, I have heard so much of you.” Most of it unsavoury, but there was no reason that he should know that. 

With a graceful bow, Benedict took her hand in his and pressed a kiss to her fingers. She had to say, of the three of them, Benedict’s had seemed the most sincere. The artist’s touch, she supposed.“Ah, so this is the famous Miss Sheffield?”

Kate quickly shook her head. “Oh no, you must be mistaken. You are thinking of my younger sister. She is the young lady in pink over there.” She pointed across the room and, sure enough, there Edwina was, a vision in dusty rose, engaged in what seemed like deep conversation with a young man who Kate didn’t recognise. 

It was Benedict’s turn to shake his head. “No, I meant you, Miss Kate. The news of your triumph at Pall Mall is the only topic our family has been able to speak of.”

Colin interjected with a friendly nudge to his ribs. “Surely you mean our brother’s crushing defeat at the hand’s of Miss Sheffield?” He would never pass up a chance to tease Anthony if he could help it, it was one of his simplest pleasures. 

Benedict quickly swatted his hand away. “Of course. However, I did not wish to insult Miss Sheffield’s character by implying that she took as much joy from relishing in our brother’s complete and utter decimation as you.”

Kate bowed her head, giggling now. It was nice to see their sibling banter, finding comfort in the knowledge that she and Edwina were not the only ones. “Why thank you, Mr Bridgerton, for taking such an interest in protecting my good name.” She looked conspiratorially from side to side before leaning in. “But please, feel free to relish to your heart’s content. At least one of us should get to.”

Benedict made no attempt to hide the ungentlemanly snort that left his nose. He had clearly been sizing her up, and it would seem that she had just passed the test. He nodded in approval. “Now I see why our brother is so fond of you. You make a worthy adversary indeed.” Kate raised her hand to her face in response, half to hide her laughter, half to hide the blush that had spread across her cheeks. Anthony spoke about her, who would have thought? 

Benedict paid it no mind. “Oh, what I would give to have seen the look on his face when that ball hit the lake.”

Kate did not doubt that yesterday’s Pall Mall match was to be the first of many. She wondered how many times she could launch his ball in the lake before Anthony would give up his efforts to receive them. Five? Ten? One hundred? “Well, give it time, I am sure that you will have plenty of opportunities in the future.” 

Oh no, she had said that last part aloud. She was verging on dangerous territory now. It was obvious that Anthony had not told them yet and she doubted that this was the way he had envisioned his brothers hearing of the news. She had to get out of there. “Will you excuse me, gentlemen? I do believe my mother is calling me.”

Colin frowned in confusion, her previous comment having gone completely over his head. “Are you certain? Is that not her over there speaking to Lady Danbury?” Sure enough, there Mary was, showing no interest in her whatsoever. 

Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. “Oh, did I say my mother? I meant Mrs Featherington.” She was slowly backing away from them now, less she embarrass herself even further in front of her future brothers-in-law. “The maternal aura in this room is so strong I should scarcely know whose mama is whom’s.” Too late. 

Trying to save what little dignity she had left, she quickly curtsied and made her leave, with two baffled Bridgertons standing in her wake. “What a-“ Benedict paused, clearly struggling to find a description that was accurate but not insulting. It was quite the mental balancing act. “-unique, young woman.”

Colin could not have put it better himself. And believe him, he had tried. “Yes, quite.” He mused, stopping the conversation dead in its tracks. 

It was Benedict who broke the silence. “Thirty Guineas says that they are married by the end of July.”

Colin simply nodded, he would have thought as much. It was as plain as day as to what the inevitable outcome would be. He offered his hand to shake on the matter. “I will tell Fran to add you to the pool.”


	3. desperate measures

Eloise Bridgerton had the most uncanny ability to interrupt a person right at the most inopportune moment. Do not misunderstand, Anthony adored his younger sister. On any other occasion, she was one of his favourite people in the world. But that love was currently the only thing preventing him from shoving her out of his way and tearing his way across the room. 

It was taking all of his willpower to not chastise her as she rambled on about yet another of their mother’s ill-chosen suitors. “I have no doubts that Mr Bagwell has shown nothing but a most steadfast dedication to his studies, however, that does not mean that I want him to go down on one knee!” It was at the moment that Eloise realised that he wasn’t even looking at her anymore. Here she was, being carted around like some show-pony, and all her brother could do was stare off into space. She flicked him on the ear. “Are you even listening to me?”

See? He was so distracted that he hardly even noticed. “Yes, of course.” He murmured. 

She placed two hands peevishly on her hips, thoroughly unconvinced. “Oh really? What was I talking about?”

Fine, he wasn’t listening one bit. “What would you like me to do about it, Eloise?”

“Well I don’t know, brother. Perhaps show your sister some concern? Some sympathy even?” She shook her head, more to herself than to him. “You of all people should understand, she has been subjecting you to the same ordeal all day, has she not?”

If she only knew the half of it. Mother would have the wedding happen tomorrow if she could. He had finally been able to convince her that they would need at least a week to get all of the affairs in order. Small wedding or not, Kate deserved to have the day be special. He owed her at least that. 

Obviously, he wasn’t going to speak a word of this to Eloise, or any of his siblings for that matter. Not until the official announcement at least. Anything to hold off the inevitable teasing that was sure to follow. Christ, they were going to be insufferable when they found out. 

He didn’t have time to dwell on that thought any longer. Because across the room was the very girl he was looking for, trying her absolute best to act casual and failing completely. 

Not even bothering to come up with a decent excuse, he muttered some half-hearted goodbye before darting off. All Eloise could do was watch him scarper away, once again questioning how the two of them could ever be related. First Mama, now him. Was she to be the only sane one in their family?

* * *

Kate wondered for a moment if she would be able to get away with pretending that she had not seen him before deciding against it. That opportunity went out the window around the time she had made direct eye-contact with him. Instead, she just stood there dumbly as he approached her. 

“Miss Sheffield.” A surprisingly formal way to address someone when you had had you mouth on their clavicle not even a mere twelve hours earlier. Surely having one’s tongue down your throat would put you on a first-name basis? He truly was a different breed all together. 

She decided to let it go, less she focus on the finer details of his mouth any further. “Lord Bridgerton.”

With a coy smile, he took her gloved hand and pressed an agonising kiss to her knuckles that penetrated her to her core. His lips stayed there five to ten seconds longer than appropriate, but she would not be the one to complain. Huh, perhaps Benedict wasn’t the best kisser of the three of them after all.

He raised his eyes to look to her, clearly proud with himself. “I am glad to see that you are in much better spirits this evening.”

Kate pulled her hand away a little too quickly, praying he wouldn’t notice. “Why thank you, my lord. I would have liked to join the festivities sooner, but your dear mother was quite insistent that I conserve my energy. Less I exert myself further.” Oh yes, she was positively fuming. He knew fine and well that she had had no say in the matter. The theme of the day it would seem. 

“That it is wonderful to hear. For a moment there I thought that you were avoiding us.”

Great, he had noticed. Time to feign ignorance. “I would not dream of it, my lord.”

Anthony wanted to make some passing remark asking what exactly she did dream about when it came to him before realising now was neither the time nor the place. Casting a look around, he realised how exposed the two of them were in their current company. Soon to be married or not, there was no way he was ever going to get a straight answer from her out in the open like this. “Might I suggest that we speak somewhere a bit more private?”

That was the last thing she needed. She knew all too well what happened when they were “somewhere more private”. While she may have been able to resist his more salacious advances so far, she was only human, she could only hold out for so long. It was abundantly clear that she was to be the levelheaded one in this marriage, and she intended to remain that way. To do that, she was going to have to steer clear of his intoxicatingly bothersome mouth and those talented hands. If Kate were to have it her way, they wouldn’t be alone together again until the honeymoon. Maybe not even then. “I’m not sure whether that is possible right now.”

“May I ask why?”

Fiddlesticks, she hadn’t been expecting a follow up question. She had to change the subject. “I have to...speak to Miss Featherington.”

“Oh, is that so?” Considering what she had witnessed in the garden that morning, he would have thought that Portia Featherington was the last person that Kate wanted to see. 

However bad the lie may of been, she was committing to it now. At least if he asked his brothers about it then she would seem consistent. “Yes, I simply must thank her for keeping an eye on my dear Edwina.” She cast him a pointed look. “You do remember Edwina, my lord, do you not?”

Alright, he deserved that one. But that did not mean that he would rise to the bait and let her change the subject. “Well then, I shall accompany you, less you begin to feel poorly again.”

She tried to wave him off. “Oh, there is no need.”

But he had already linked their arms, her hand clasped tightly with his. “I insist.” And just like that, he was guiding her through the crowd. 

From the corner of her eye, she could not help but notice that his gaze was fixed on her and not the path ahead. She practically willed herself not to blush. “You’re staring at me.”

“Was I?” He hummed. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“You should be watching where you are walking.”

He gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze. “Do not fret, you are in safe hands.”

“I think we both know that I most certainly am not.” A beat passed. “You’re still staring.”

“I should like to do far more than stare but desperate times call for desperate measures.” How he could say such devious things with such a straight face, she would never understand. 

She had half a mind to stamp on his toes again. “Must I remind you that it is exactly that manner of speaking that got us into this situation in the first place?”

“And what situation would that be?” Now look who was feigning ignorance. 

“I think you should know perfectly well you obtuse little - Mrs Featherington!” The disturbingly accurate words died on her tongue as the Featherington matriarch came into view, her third daughter, dressed in yet another unflattering shade of yellow, standing beside her. Kate doubted that there was a woman alive who could successfully pull off lemon yellow, least of all poor Penelope. Why the girl could not have a say in her wardrobe, she would never understand. The redhead pulled her lips into a sympathetic smile; those were her thoughts exactly. 

“Lord Bridgerton, Miss Sheffield! How nice of you to join us this evening.” Mrs Featherington beamed at them, at little too intensely for it to seem genuine. 

One look at the pulsating vein on his neck was all Kate needed to know that he had already had quite enough of this conversation. It was starting to seem more and more likely that the threat he made in the garden earlier was not entirely in jest. She withdrew her arm from Anthony’s and placed herself between him and Mrs Featherington. She hadn’t planned on having to act as a human shield tonight, but, honestly, nothing surprised her at this point. “I just wished to thank you again for taking care of dear Edwina whilst my mother and I were indisposed.”

“But of course, it was no trouble, no trouble at all.” Before either of them knew it, she had reached forward and clasped Kate’s hands tightly in place, pulling her in. “I am so glad to see that all you girls have grown so close.” She gave the two of them a calculated smile, her true intentions finally revealing themselves. “It is so important to have a friend in this world, would you not agree, Lord Bridgerton?”

It seemed to take all of his willpower to grit out the words, “Yes, Mrs Featherington, wholeheartedly.”, without slapping the woman. 

It did not take a genius to read between the lines of her comment. While Mrs Featherington may have been threatened into submission, that did not mean that she would not manipulate the situation to her and, more importantly, her daughters’ advantage. To be a friend and confidante of a viscount and his future viscountess was a fortunate position indeed. You had to admit, the woman had talent. Kate may not have been all that fond of Penelope’s mother, but she would be damned if she said that she did not respect her. Anthony? Not so much. 

Still, it wasn’t ideal under the circumstances. Her eyes caught his and she knew that, somehow, they were thinking the exact same thing; they had to nip this conversation in the bud, now. Sooner rather than later, she was going to say something that they would all regret. 

Fortunately, Kate knew precisely what to do. “I think I may enjoy having a stretch of my legs. Would you care to join me, Penelope?” Taking a page from Anthony’s book, she had already begun to link her arm with the redhead’s. 

Penelope had no objections, anything for a moment of respite from her mother’s needling. “I’d be delighted.” The technique was most certainly effective, no wonder he was so fond of it. 

“Wonderful. Then I shall see you both at supper.” She was already helping, more like pushing, Penelope on her way. “Mrs Featherington.” Kate bowed her head as she passed them. “Anthony.”

Double fiddlesticks, did she just call him by his first name? Why didn’t she just kiss him on the mouth for the whole room to see? That would’ve been more subtle. Perhaps they hadn’t noticed it?

They had noticed it. 

Anthony didn’t even need to look at Mrs Featherington to know that she was smirking. He could hear the smugness from a mile away. “Not one word.”

“I would not dream of it, my lord.”


	4. not today, Satan

As soon as they were out of earshot, Penelope asked the question that had been troubling her since she had seen the two of them together. “Since when were you and Anthony so chummy?”

Bugger, Kate was hoping that she hadn’t noticed. Why couldn’t she have stupid friends, like happy people do? “What do you mean? We aren’t.”

Penelope raised an incredulous brow. “He escorted you over?”

“Oh, yes, of course.” Right she loathed the man, at least, Penelope still thought so. A lot can change in twenty-four hours. “Well, you know how he is, anything to get in my sister’s good graces.”

“Well, I don’t think that you will have to worry about that ill-fated courtship much longer.” She muttered. 

“How so?”

“I keep forgetting you weren’t here.” Judging by Pen’s face, she had missed a lot during her short exile. “Anthony has been like a changed man today. He hasn’t shown the slightest bit of interest in Edwina. Whatever you did, your plan seems to be working.”

“Really?” Oh, sweet Pen, if only she knew what really went on behind closed doors. 

“Yes, really. He did not speak to her once today. I wonder if-“ She stopped mid sentence. Whatever she was about to suggest, Kate would never know. “Oh no, not now.” But she most definitely knew what that terrified look on her face meant. More accurately, who it meant. 

It was Penelope’s turn to tug on her arm.“Quick, let us go before she should see us.” 

Too late, Cressida had already spotted them. And as elegantly as a lioness stalks her prey, she was making her way through the crowd towards them. No, lioness was too flattering. She was more like a spiteful house cat who bit you just because they could. They would have to stand their ground. She could probably smell fear. “Pay her no mind, Pen. She feeds off the attention.” 

“Easier said than done.” Penelope’s eyes were frantic now. Poor thing, she was as white as a sheet. 

Kate gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Just, stay next to me, I will deal with her.”

“Kate. Penelope. How delightful it is to see you again.” Speak of the She-Devil. There she was sidling up to them now, Basil Grimston hanging on her arm. Honestly, did the man have nowhere else to be? Or did he and Cressida truly just share a mutual passion for sadism?

Kate did not have time for this nonsense, she had enough on her plate already. “Can we help you, Miss Cowper?” After what she had done to Penelope the night before, they were no longer on a first name basis, and she was going to let the nasty old boot know as much. 

But Cressida just simpered. “I was so concerned when we did not see you today, Miss Sheffield. One wonders how you ever intend to secure yourself a prosperous match if you do not make the effort to socialise?”

So people had noticed her absence. Splendid. “If you must know, I was feeling under the weather this afternoon. Lady Bridgerton thought it best that I retire to my chambers.”

“Lady Bridgerton is such a generous hostess, is she not? So well known for her many acts of...” She took great pleasure in slowly looking the pair of them up and down, her disdain evident. “-charity.”

Kate could not count the times that she had had to bite her tongue in situations like this. Ladies of her stature were always told to accept any blow that came their way with a smile and curtsy, lest they come off as rude or unapproachable. But she was not going to stand by and put up with this tripe. Not today. 

“I forget, Miss Cowper, for how many seasons have you been out for now?”

Cressida paused, clearly caught off guard.Good, serves the hag right. “I should not see why that would be any concern of your’s, Miss Sheffield. However, if you must know, this is my second season.”

Kate merely tilted her head to the side, feigning confusion. “Well then, it strikes me as strange that you should be giving anyone advice on how to secure a successful match, when you yourself have yet to do so.” She narrowed her eyes, showing no sign of stopping. “Let alone a young woman not even halfway through her first season. Might I be so bold as to suggest that you focus on your own prospects, as opposed to mine?”

To her credit, Cressida recovered quickly from that little setback. “What can I say? I have been blessed with the good fortune that allows myself to have standards.” Dammit, she was even pretty when she sneered. “Unlike some.”

But two could play at that game. If Cressida wanted to fight dirty, Kate was more than ready to get right down in the mud with her. “Ah yes, of course. From what I hear, not even the great Prince Friedrich could live up to your lofty standards.” 

Penelope barely managed to hide her laugh behind her hand. But the damage was already done, Cressida was practically foaming at the mouth. Barely holding on to what composure she had left, all she could manage to say was, “Why you ghastly little-“

Basil was the first to see the unspoken line that Cressida was on the precipice of crossing. Trying to save whatever face the two of them had left, he quickly butted in with, “I think, perhaps, we should be on our way.”

Oh, it was far too late for that now. Kate Sheffield did not have a propensity for starting fights, but that by no means meant that she couldn’t finish them. “Now, now, Mr Grimston, Miss Cowper is a grown woman. She is more than capable of speaking for herself.”

Cressida gave her hair an affectatious toss over her shoulder, preparing herself. “It seems to me, Miss Sheffield, that perhaps you seem so fixated on my many prospects so as to distract yourself from your complete lack of a suitor.” Her voice was practically dripping in smugness, but Kate paid it no mind. “Might I suggest that it is high-time that you come to terms with the reality of your condition?” 

“And what condition would that be, Miss Cowper?”

She was grinning from ear to ear now. “An unmarried, unimportant, little spinster with no dowry, no title and even less decorum. Who is unwilling to accept the life of eternal solitude that awaits her. Just like your friend here.”

Kate wondered how long it had taken her to prepare that little remark. It sounded far too rehearsed to be off the cuff. She simply nodded, voice unwavering. “I see, and is that your opinion of me in its entirety?”

Her calm, almost chipper, demeanour had obviously thrown Cressida off of her rhythm. Taken aback, all she could come up with as a reply was, “Yes, I do believe it is.”

It would be fair to say that Kate Sheffield had been having a hectic 24-hours. From the bouts of hysteria last night in the library to getting stung by a bee to being ravaged in a gazebo by a betrothed who did not even truly want her. The whole thing was probably wrecking havoc on her blood pressure. If she was being honest, Kate would have preferred for her proposal to have occurred under much more clandestine circumstances. But the fact that Cressida Cowper just openly insulted a soon-to-be viscountess? Well, that just made the entire debacle worth it. 

Now, of course, Kate couldn’t say any of this. Kate couldn’t say any of things that she wanted to. But what she could do, was kill the bloody cow with kindness. “Well, I thank you for your candour, Miss Cowper. I will most definitely take your comments to heart. Now, if you do excuse us, Miss Featherington and I must ponder the eternity of solitude that awaits me.” With a flourish, she linked her arms with Penelope’s and whisked her across the floor, leaving a gawking Cressida Cowper and mildly impressed Basil Grimston in their wake. “Come along, Pen.”

“What on earth has got into you this evening?” Penelope hissed into her ear the minute they were out of view. 

“Nothing, I simply can’t stand bullies is all.” It was only after she had said it that she realised she was echoing Anthony’s words from the night before. 

But Penelope just shook her head, still unconvinced. “You needn’t have done that for me. There is no point in both of us having a target on our backs.”

“Nonsense, Pen. If we cannot rely on our fellow ladies to hold us up, who can we rely on?” She grinned, still running high on the adrenaline of their little showdown. “Besides, I have it on good authority that Cressida Cowper will soon rue the day that she ever decided to cross Penelope Featherington.” She bumped her hips with Pen’s. “Now, I don’t know about you. But I could use a drink.”

* * *

It was at the lemonade table that they finally found Eloise, who practically jumped in the air when she saw them. Of course, if Eloise Bridgerton was the type of person who would do that sort of thing, which she was not. “There you are. I swear, if I have to hear one more man tell me how ‘exquisite’ my dress looks, I fear I might implode.” It was a good thing that she said that; Kate was just about to tell her how lovely she looked in her periwinkle evening gown. Thank goodness she had been able to avoid that disaster. 

“More matchmaking, I presume?” Penelope smirked as she handed Eloise a glass of lemonade, which she gladly took. 

“My mother is being insufferable. One moment she is obsessed with finding Anthony his future viscountess, the next she is introducing me to every bachelor she can get her hands on.” She raised her glass to them. “Heed my words, ladies. You should consider yourselves lucky that your surnames are not Bridgerton.”

While Kate had successfully managed to keep a straight face for the majority of their conversation, that final comment was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Namely in the form of causing her to choke on her drink in a most undignified manner. 

Eloise put a concerned, almost sisterly, hand to her shoulder. “My goodness, are you alright?”

“No, no, I’m fine!” Kate finally managed to splutter. “I suppose I am not as recovered as I first thought.”

Eyes darting across the room, it was in the moment that her eyes locked with the very man that they had just been speaking of. From his position across the room with his brothers, he had witnessed the entire thing. But her betrothed did not say a word, he simply arched a bemused brow, lifted the corner of his mouth ever-so-slightly, and returned to his conversation. Never before in her life had Kate wished that it were possible to drown on dry land. Despite her best efforts, it was safe to assume that she would not be leaving this evening with her dignity intact. 

Now, perhaps, he was attempting to save her from further embarrassment. Perhaps,he was simply tired of standing around. Or, perhaps,his mother had given him a sharp look that clearly told him it was time to get a move on. For whatever reason (it was the last one), it was at that moment that Lord Bridgerton decided to announce that supper was ready and request that they all join him in the dining room. Soon the crowd began to mill through the door. In the distance, she could see Mary gesturing for her to join them. 

Well, it was now or never. “Ladies, would you do me a favour?”

“Of course, anything.” Said Penelope. 

“Try not to let your jaws drop completely to the floor.”

Eloise scoffed, clearly confused. “Whatever do you mean?”

“I will explain later.” She cast a quick glimpse behind her shoulder; everyone was almost inside. “Just try, please?” And on that somewhat ominous note, she had turned and left. No doubt making her way to rejoin her family. 

Penelope had the good grace to wait until Kate was with her mother before consulting Eloise. “She has been acting so strange today, don’t you think?”

Her friend just nodded, eyes still fixed fixed on Kate as she went through the door. Something was most definitely off. “I know. The only person I can think who has been acting even stranger is -.” And that was when it hit her. 

He had done it. 

He had actually done it. 

“Oh good Lord.”

“What?” Penelope whispered, still oblivious to what was just about to transpire. Oh, how she hated to be left out of the loop. “What is it?”

But for Eloise, who was undoubtedly the brightest of Bridgertons, knew exactly what was happening. However improbable it seemed, it was most definitely happening. Unable to coherently put all her thoughts into words, all she could manage to muster was, “I’ve lost the bloody bet.”


	5. two can play at that game

Anthony Bridgerton was engaged. 

Anthony. Her brother. Biggest rake in all of London. Was getting married. 

To a woman. 

And not just any woman. A smart one. An independent one. A forward-thinking one. A woman who, dare she say it, Eloise liked. 

How could this have happened? How could this even be possible? The two positively loathed each other, did they not? In all fairness to her, Kate had never dared insult Eloise’s dear brother to her face. But she had heard enough from Penelope to know that they were on anything but good terms. 

And what of Edwina? Hadn’t she been the objects of Anthony’s affections? Had the whole thing been some giant ruse? She had questions. Too many questions. And she was going to get some answers. 

Kate and her stepmother were just taking their seats at the dinner table when she found them; the perfect opportunity. “Ah, Mrs Sheffield. My mother has requested that you join her at the head of the table. Please, take my seat.”

Mary made no protest as she got up from her chair. Although, Eloise could not help but notice the knowing look she cast Kate before she left. Suspicious. Perhaps their mothers were also in on the conspiracy? It would explain Kate’s sudden absence that afternoon. 

Fortunately, she had been seated to Kate’s left, thus allowing Eloise an optimal view of her hand. Hm, no ring. It must have been quite sudden then. There was no way that Anthony would forget to bring a ring to a proposal if it had been planned. 

Well, guess it was time interfere with other people’s affairs. “So, Kate, tell me; how are you liking Aubrey Hall?”

Kate gave a polite, but painfully unrevealing, response. “Oh, it’s been marvellous. If I am being honest, I think that I shall always remain a country girl at heart.”

Huh, just like her brother. She wondered if Kate already knew that. “Any exciting developments so far?” Ah, a more pointed question this time, that should do the trick. 

“No, nothing of much import.”

Preposterous, the proposal had to have been recent. There was no way Mama could have gone this long without announcing it. Surely it must have happened some time today, why else wouldn’t they have announced it at last night’s supper?

“Although.” Kate’s words pulled Eloise out of her head and back into the room. “I did trounce your brother at Pall Mall yesterday, if I do say so myself.” She gave a cavalier shrug. “And I do.”

The perfect segue, now they were getting somewhere. “The two of you have grown rather close, haven’t you?”

“With whom?” An artful dodge, but two could play at that game. 

“My brother.”

“Which one? You have four.”

“The eldest one.”

Kate couldn’t avoid the question any longer. “Oh, the Viscount? I suppose so. He’s come calling on Edwina a number of times.” She frowned, as if genuinely trying to remember. “But, I wouldn’t be so bold as to say we were close. Goodness, I don’t think I have seen him since last night.”

That tricky minx. She hadn’t flinched once.If anything else, Kate Sheffield was proving to be a remarkable liar. Eloise would’ve been impressed if it weren’t for the fact that the girl may very well be marrying her brother. 

Kate was growing all too aware of the dead silence between them. Being at the centre of attention did not suit her. Hoping to move the focus away from herself, shook her head and sighed in a way that seemed much more sincere. “I’m sorry El, I must be about as exhilarating as a brick wall tonight.” 

No, but she was about as revealing as one. This was going to be a long five courses. Eloise would have to prepare herself for the long haul. 

* * *

Halfway through the third course and she had still made very little progress. Kate Sheffield performed surprisingly well under interrogation. Here’s what Eloise had been able to gather so far:

  1. She shared an incredibly close bond with her family; an admirable trait.
  2. She was the proud owner of a purebred corgi named Newton, and would talk about him to just about anyone who would listen. 
  3. She had recently taken up the flute. 
  4. She was horrendous at the flute. 



It was just as Kate had begun to speak of her excitement for the new upcoming novel from the writer of Sense and Sensibility that Eloise’s eyes spotted Benedict and Colin sitting five seats down from across the table. Maybe they would know something. 

Sadly, there were in the presence of polite society, so she couldn’t use her useful method of getting their attention. Also, her legs were too short to kick them when both were seated that far away. So, she would have to get their attention the other way. 

Benedict was the first to notice her. It was pretty hard not to, for some reason his sister had decided to start jerking her head around like a madwoman. However, deeply engrossed in his second helping, Colin hadn’t seen a thing. Upon closer inspection, Benedict realised that her movements weren’t as random as he had first thought. In fact, it also seemed like she was indicating to something, or someone.

Colin finally looked up from his plate long enough to notice his brother staring across the table. Rightly confused, he followed his gaze. “Is Eloise having a fit?”

“No.” Benedict didn’t take his eyes away from his sister’s odd display. “I think she’s trying to ask us something about Miss Kate.”

“What about her?” He too couldn’t break his gaze away from Eloise’s bizarre movements. 

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be asking you, would I?” God, he wished he was sitting with Fran. “Wait, I think she’s pointing to something else now.”

Sure enough, she was. Her finger was now directing them towards the head of the table, where their elder brother was currently seated. “I think she’s pointing at Anthony.”

“Yes, brother, I can see that.” 

“Well, whatever it she’s asking, it is something to do with Anthony and Miss Kate.” It was saying the words aloud that enabled Colin to finally connect the dots in his head. He was a bright lad, just lacked common sense at times. “Do you think he knows about you-know-what?”

“How on earth could he know? Only five people know and we’re two of them.”

“Six now.” Benedict cast him a confused look. “Lady Danbury put twenty Guineas on them marrying mid-August.” He explained. 

Nodding quickly turned into shaking his head as Benedict rid his mind of the notion. “Regardless, there’s no-one who could have told Anthony or Miss Kate.”

Colin frowned, a terrible idea striking him. “Unless Daphne did; she was quite appalled when she found out.”

But Benedict wouldn’t hear a word of it. “Not a chance; Daph may be holier than thou at times but she isn’t a spoilsport.”

Perhaps she had heard the mention of her name. Or, perhaps, she just had a sixth sense for hijinks. Either way, it was at the moment that the eldest Bridgerton daughter looked up at them from the head of the table. The suspicious look in her eye told them everything they needed to hear. In uncanny unison, the two smiled and waved at her before returning their attention to their plates. 

Well, at least Colin did. “So what do you think Eloise was trying to say?”

Benedict leaned back in his chair, content to let matters sort themselves out on their own. The method had never let him down so far. “Does it matter? Either way, she’s going to yell at us about it.”

“True.” Colin nodded solemnly before casting his eyes to the leftovers of his older brother’s plate. “Are you going to finish that?”

* * *

The servants had just begun to clear away the dishes from the fourth course. Eloise hadn’t made much progress in her investigation, and her brothers proved about as helpful as a chocolate teapot. At least the dinner conversation was stimulating. It was nice to have a potential sister-in-law that she could get along with. And who showed an interest in her less than traditional hobbies. 

“What about you, Eloise? Are you still keeping up with your Lady Whistledown investigation?”

Eloise placed her knife and fork side-by-side on her plate. “In a way, yes. I mean, I still want to know who she is, obviously.”

“Obviously.”

“But, it’s only for my own personal edification. I would never tell anyone who she was, it wouldn’t be my secret to share.” She truly meant that. If she were ever fortunate enough to find Whistledown, she doubted that she would even tell Penelope about it. It was too risky. The only way Lady Whistledown could ever continue her work was if her true identity remained forever a secret. 

Kate seemed to nod in approval. “A noble pursuit, indeed.”

“Why thank you.” She took a sip of her wine, relishing at the opportunity to hear a compliment of a trait that she actually cared about for once. “However, in truth, I am no closer to uncovering her true identity than I was this time last year.”

“That cannot be entirely true. A sharp-witted detective such as yourself surely must have some ideas.” Kate’s full attention was directed at her now.“Come on, let’s hear it.”

Oh well, if she insisted. “Well, I know she is a woman; no man would ever feel the need to hide. She must also be a member of the ton, she could only know what she knows if she had been there to witness it firsthand.”

Kate gave her hand a reassuring pat.“See? You’ve already narrowed it down a fair bit. Anything else?”

Eloise had found her rhythm now. Once she started talking about Lady Whistledown, she found it rather difficult to stop. “She must be an older woman, a widow, perhaps. Someone who people wouldn’t notice.”

“Or one of us.” Kate mused. 

“What, another debutante?”

She paused, clearly not expecting to questioned any further. For a woman with so many strong opinions, she could be quite reluctant to share them at times. “Yes. I mean, she first published at the start of last year’s season, right?”

“That she did.” Eloise started to have an idea of where this line of enquiry was leading. 

“So, perhaps she was simply an ambitious young hopeful trying to take out the competition? Or, a righteous crusader providing less fortunate girls with a fighting chance?” She must have noticed the stunned look on Eloise’s face. “What? I’m from Somerset. Lady Whistledown is just about the only interesting thing we have to talk about.” 

Eloise quickly raised her hands up in surrender“Your words, not mine.”

With a sceptical look on her face, Kate decided it would be best to brush it off as she took a sip from her glass. “If you ask me, you shouldn’t be looking at who Lady Whistledown has attacked.”

“I shouldn’t?”

Finishing her drink, Kate placed the ornate glass back on the table. “No, you should be looking at who she hasn’t. Inaction speaks much louder than words.”

Eloise frowned, unable to hide her incredulous tone. “I don’t believe that is how the saying goes.”

“Who are you, my governess?” Kate tried her best to act offended, but couldn’t stop herself from grinning. 

Butchering of common phrases aside, she did have a point. Who knows what gossip and rumours Lady Whistledown had elected not to share over the past year? She must have had her reasons. It would take a certain type of person to not end up on the author’s hit-list. “You do realise that list of people includes you, of course?”

Kate just shrugged, unsurprised. “What can I say? There are benefits to keeping your head down.” One of the main ones being not having your name dragged through the mud. Anonymity had its benefits. 

Eloise placed a hand to her chin, as if deep in thought, and began to examine her closely. “Tell me, Miss Katherine Sheffield, who do you know that doesn’t hate you?”

She hastily waved the younger lady away. “I doubt it’s a matter of not hating me, more a matter of having no clue who I am.” 

Head cocked to the side, Eloise raised an eyebrow. “You sound disheartened.” 

“Quite the opposite. One finds a certain peace in the ordinary; solace, even. In fact, I prefer it.” Kate smiled softly to herself. “I am thoroughly uninterested in the limelight, give me obscurity any day.”

And that is when the realisation struck her. She would be marrying into one of the most well-known and influential families in London. Her life, her children’s lives, would always be in the limelight. Soon the whole world would know her business, or, at least, it would feel that way. Once she married Anthony, that would be it. Quiet, inconsequential Kate Sheffield would cease to exist. She’d be Viscountess Bridgerton until the end of her days.

She would never know that peace again. 

There was a sort of sadness to it, one that Kate could not quite put a name to. She had spent so long focussed on her engagement that she hadn’t even considered what happened next. The wedding was the least of her concerns, she had a marriage to think about now. Eloise put a hand to her shoulder, clearly worried by her abrupt silence. It was strange, for a second, the look of concern on the middle Bridgerton’s face had almost reminded her of Anthony. Kate didn’t know if that made her feel better or worse. However, she still forced herself to smile and say, “It’s nothing, still feeling a tad fatigued is all.” But she knew that Eloise wasn’t convinced. 

Before they could dwell on the matter further, the man himself had made his wayover to them and had placed his hand on the back of Kate’s chair. “Miss Sheffield? My mother wishes for you to join us for tea in the drawing room.”

Kate’s head spun around in surprise. This wasn’t part of the plan. “What? Now?”

Anthony seemed unfazed. “Yes, now.”

Eloise decided that it was time to start doing what she did best; meddle. “But they have yet to serve dessert?”

Anthony nearly jumped, only just realising that his younger sister was there. He recovered quickly. “She is not in the mood this evening.”

But Eloise would not give up that easily.“But we’re having barberry ices tonight; Mama adores barberry ices.” She would get the two of them to admit the truth even if it killed her. 

And, by the look on Anthony’s face, it just might. “I do not know what to tell you, sister, she can do as she pleases.”

Unwilling to let the matter drop, she crossed her arms stubbornly across her chest. “Well, may I come too? Miss Sheffield and I were very much enjoying our conversation.”

Anthony’s patience was clearly wearing thin. “No, you can go sit with Daphne and Simon.”

“Why not?” Kate was not the only one who could feign naïveté. “Miss Sheffield gets to.”

“Because it is my house and I say so.” He immediately regretted his harsh tone, but it was too late. Bringing down the law wasn’t as easy as his mother had made it out to be. 

“Anthony.” Kate scolded, twisting to bat away the hand that rested on her chair. “Don’t speak to her in that way.”

She immediately realised her mistake, all of three of them did. Not the scolding him, that was well-deserved. Not even the smacking him away, he had that coming too. No, it was the way that she had so easily addressed him by his given name. The confidence behind the words, how naturally it rolled off her tongue. As if she had done it before. 

Anthony was quick to speak up, trying best to ignore what had just happened. “Quite right.” He cleared his throat and offered his arm. “Shall we be going, Miss Sheffield?”

“Yes, my lord.” Kate bolted upright, her cheeks burning bright red. “I shall see you in a short while, Eloise.” With a quick curtsy, she gladly took Anthony’s arms and the two made their speedy exit. 

If anyone else had witnessed that encounter, they wouldn’t have thought anything of it. But Eloise Bridgerton wasn’t anyone else. She watched. She listened. She observed. Which is how she saw Anthony turning to whisper some comment in Kate’s right before she promptly elbowed him in the ribs. He only laughed. Eloise couldn’t see her face, but somehow she knew Kate was smiling too. And, as soon as it had happened, they were out the door and gone. 

Eloise fought the all-consuming urge to howl with laughter. She bloody knew it. 


	6. take the words right out of my mouth

Kate was the first to speak. 

Well, more precisely, she whispered. “What are we doing in here?”

Anthony didn’t look at her, his eyes fixed on their two mothers and their hushed conversation across the room. It was become more and more obvious that the promise of tea had been a lie. “I have no clue, they just sent me to fetch you.”

Without so much as a word, the two of them had been led to the Viscountess’s private drawing room. Kate couldn’t help but notice that the beautifully adorned room was larger than any bedroom she had ever had. Maybe more than Edwina’s and her rooms combined. The double-ended chaise-lounge that she and Anthony were sitting on was certainly more comfortable than her bed back in Somerset. “Do you think they mean to admonish us?” She asked. 

“No, Mother wouldn’t dream of chastising me in front of non-family members.” She liked being able to rip Anthony a new one in the privacy of her own home. “Wait until after the wedding, then she’ll have no qualms about yelling at me in your presence.”

“I look forward to seeing that.” She replied, her fingers dancing along the white silkand rich rosewood of the chaise’s arm. It was strange, with her dark hair and the pale fabric of her dress, she almost blended right in with the furniture. 

He chuckled, not surprised by her comment nor her fidgeting. “I should think you would.”

Finally, their mothers turned to face them. In theory, Kate knew that they hadn’t been doing anything to warrant a reprimand. Even so, she still straightened her back to full attention, her eyes solely fixed on her future mother-in-law. 

Violet took a seat in one of the chairs placed across from them. “Now that the dust has settled, so to speak, I believe it is high-time that we cast our minds to what happens next.” As said future in-law spoke, Mary took a seat in the matching chair to her right. Kate couldn’t help but notice that, by doing so, they were now blocking the room’s only door. “The most important step is the announcement. We must do all we can to avoid suspicion.”

“Oh, so is that what this is?” Realisation seemed to dawn across Kate’s face as she suddenly spoke up. “You have brought us in here for the sake of appearances, yes?” While the three of them were all looking at her in confusion, they didn’t tell her to stop, so she didn’t. “So that if anyone asks when exactly the two of us became engaged, we can say it was here, under much more acceptable circumstances.”

Violet blinked. No, that had not been the plan. Truth be told, with all the wedding planning it had never occurred to her nor Mary what time they should tell their guests the proposal occurred. Obviously, she wasn’t going to tell either of them that. “Yes, exactly.”

Deciding to brush off her daughter’s interruption, Mary continued. “Initially, I had suggested we seek a special license. The faster the two of you being wed, the easier it would be quell any unsavoury rumours.”

Now it was Violet’s turn to interject. A Bridgerton trait, no doubt. “But then I pointed out that that would likely elicit even worse implications.”

“On account of Daphne and Simon.” Anthony nodded in understanding. He remembered that debacle all too well. “Yes, I see what you mean.”

Kate, however, did not. “You mean to say, the two of them had to-?” The stern look on Mary’s face was all Kate needed to know that she should stop speaking immediately. “Never mind.”

Violet didn’t seem to think anything of it, opting to continue. “Now this may come as a shock to you, dear Kate, but my heart was quite set on seeing my son married this season.” It took all of Kate’s willpower to not laugh at that statement. And she didn’t need to look at him to know that Anthony was experiencing the exact same struggle. Somehow, against all odds, they both managed to persevere and maintain a straight face.

“And, in an ideal world, the two of you would be wed by this time tomorrow.” She let out a heavy sigh. “But this is not an ideal situation. So I have to ask you to be patient and have faith. Can you do that for me?”

Oh no, she would have to wait a little while longer for her fraudulent wedding to the man who was trying to marry her sister less than twenty-four hours ago. What a nightmare. “Of course, Lady Bridgerton.”

“Please, you must call me Violet.” She gave her a knowing smile. “We are to be family after all.” Another thought seemed to strike her, making her laugh. “Besides, Lady Bridgerton is what we shall be calling you soon enough.”

Mary positively glowed upon hearing that. She still couldn’t quite believe it; her little girl, a viscountess. Lady Cowper would have a fit when she heard the news, the cheeky cow. “The advantage of this is that it will give us more time to plan the wedding. There is so much we have to do.”

Violet was quick to nod in approval. “My thoughts precisely. There is the church and the invitations and the reception.”

“Not to mention the dress.”

“Your entire trousseau even.” 

Upon hearing that, Mary turned back to Kate. “We must go to the modiste the minute we return to London.”

But Violet wouldn’t hear of it, waving her off. “Oh, nonsense, Mary, I shall take her. Consider it my wedding present.”

“Oh no, we couldn’t possibly accept.”

“It is no bother, it is the least I can do.”

“But you have been so generous already, I don’t wish to take advantage of your graciousness.”

And so on and so forth. In all their squabbling, neither of their doting mother’s sensed the shift in Kate’s demeanour, but her betrothed did. The subtle clenching of her jaw, the nervous tapping of her fingers against her lap; she obviously hated the idea. Of course she did, Kate hated being the centre of attention. It wouldn’t take a genius to know that the last thing she would want was a large lavish affair with every eye of the ton of her. Not to mention, talking about her. He knew the feeling all too well. Which is why he had to interrupt. “Actually, Mother, Kate and I have already discussed the matter and we both agree that a small intimate affair would be best.”

What? No they hadn’t. 

“We just want a nice, quiet day, with our close friends and family.” Good lord, he was lying to his mother’s face. More shockingly, he seemed to be doing it for her benefit. Kate wanted to tell him that it wasn’t necessary, that she could speak for herself. But, just as she was about to protest, he placed a reassuring hand on her own. “I know you have your doubts, dear, but I honestly think the less people we have in attendance the better. Would you not agree?”

What could she say? It was what she wanted after all. Part of her was thankful that he had volunteered to be the bearer of bad news. But an even bigger part of her wished that she had been allowed to have her say in the matter. There was no point in saying anything now she supposed. It would be easier if she just followed his lead, wouldn’t it? 

She nodded, perhaps a little too eagerly. “Oh, yes. You have taken the words right of my mouth.” 

He smiled at her in approval. The look on his face was all she needed to know that she had told him exactly what she wanted to hear. She didn’t like it. “As for all the other arrangements, Mary, I must insist that you allow me to cover the expenses.”

“But my lord-“

Anthony raised a hand to silence her. It was the most viscount-like gesture that Kate had ever seen him do. If not a tad pretentious. “I will not hear another word of it.”

“Well, that settles it then.” Violet clasped her hands together in excitement, practically vibrating in her chair. “I suppose that there’s nothing left to do but announce it.” Her eyes went to the clock that sat on the mantle to her left. “Tea should be served in fifteen minutes. So I think we could allow you five minutes to speak in private.” She cast her son a pointed look. “With supervision, of course.”

In response, Anthony pulled out his pocket watch, the one that Kate had never seen him without. He quickly cast a look at the time before snapping it shut and hurriedly returning it to his pocket. “Actually, Mother, I believe that clock is running a little behind. By five minutes to be exact.”

“Are you sure?” Violet gave him a confused look, her eyes glancing back to the clock in question. 

But he was very sure. “Have I ever been wrong when it came to time keeping?”

No, she supposed that he had not. “Well, then I suppose ten minutes wouldn’t hurt.”

“Actually, that gives me enough time to go and find Edwina.” More like rescue her from Portia Featherington. 

At least, that’s what Violet was thinking. “Why don’t you do that, Mary, and I shall accompany these two. We shall meet in the parlour.”

Mary walked across to place a peck to Kate’s cheek. “I will see you in a moment, my darling.” She bowed her head in Anthony’s direction. “My lord.” After casting Violet one more conspiratory look, she was out the door. 

Violet quickly followed suit, rising from her chair to leave. But not before repeating her instructions. “Ten minutes.” She made no attempt to hide which one of them she was speaking to. “Behave.” As a hint, it was to the one who was related to her. 

And just like that they were alone. 

Neither knew what to say at first. This was the first time that they had truly been able to speak freely with each-other since that morning. Logically, they both knew nothing had really changed, they were still the same people they were yesterday. Still, it just seemed so different now. They had looked behind the curtain and there was no going back. 

Kate cleared her throat, desperate to alleviate the tension. “It is a shame about the clock.”

Anthony hummed in acknowledgment, thankful that she had finally said something. “I know, strange isn’t it?”

Keen to avoid another uncomfortable silence, she spoke again. “I could’ve sworn it was right.”

“So had I.” He gave a non-committal shrug. “Suppose I’ll have to reset it.”

She raised a sceptical brow at that. “Especially since your father’s watch showed the exact same time as it.” Aha, she had caught him there. Fooling his mother? Shame on him. Fooling her? Very unlikely. 

Kate had been expecting to have heard some witty retort by now. Instead, she was met with silence. “What is it?” Oh lord, had she said something wrong?

Anthony stared at her, dumbfounded. “I never told you that it belonged to my father.”

Kate wasn’t sure how to respond to that. How do you respond to that? Seriously, she was asking. Because all that she could come up with was, “Did you have to?”

He didn’t answer. He just looked at her, a tender smile on his lips and his eyes filled with something she dare not name. She must have been mistaken. There was no way it was what she hoped it was. Tempting as it was, she had to be the sensible one. There was no point in getting caught up in futile fantasies, no matter how appealing. She knew better. She had to know better. 

“I’m sorry. I just meant that I know it must have great personal significance to you. You normally aren’t so preoccupied with material things and I have never seen you without it. So I assumed-“ Before her rambling could continue any further, she was interrupted by his lips suddenly being pressed to hers. Kissing was proving to be his go to method of getting her to stop talking. Not that she was complaining; there were worse habits to suffer through. 

His hands cradled her face, his thumb gently stroking her left cheek. This wasn’t like his previous kisses, it was calmer, less urgent. It was if he had all the time in the world, even though he most certainly did not. After what felt like an age, he pulled away. Eyes fixated on her mouth, his hand travelled down to allow the pad of his thumb to lightly trace along her bottom lip. “You funny girl.” He murmured. 

Kate was about to tell him that “funny” wasn’t the compliment she had been hoping for before his lips were on hers again. This time with much more fervour. With her caught off-guard, it did not take much for Anthony to push her to have her back against the arm of the chair. In no time at all, his tongue was pressing at the corner of her mouth and his hand was travelling down to caress her - oh my. Guess that was the right answer. 

He was angling her head now, allowing him better access to her now exposed neck. The man most certainly knew how to take full advantage of the time he had been given. He had a lot of practice, she reminded herself. It was nothing that he hadn’t done before. 

Somehow, in-between his ministrations to her neck, his lips had made their way to the shell of her ear. “Meet me at the gazebo tonight.” He murmured, his voice husky in a way that she had only heard twice before. 

Formulating sentences was proving rather difficult at the moment, especially with that wandering hand of his doing what it was doing. All she managed to muster was “Pardon?”

He was nipping her earlobe now, seemingly hellbent on rendering her entirely speechless. “At 11, when the guests have been sent back to their rooms.”

Something in his voice told her he wasn’t asking, he was telling. She couldn’t lie and say that the idea of that didn’t excite her just a tiny bit. But as soon as she had made a mental note to circle back to that feeling after the wedding night, it came back; that niggling voice. That painfully sensible one. The voice that asked if this is all their marriage would be; him telling her to jump, her asking how high. 

She always spoke her mind. She had thought that that was what he liked best about her. Had his thoughts changed? And since when had she become someone who cared what other people thought? She had a voice of her own, why was she being so quick to silence it?

Because that had been what he wanted. It was, was it not? A lovely, amenable young lady? One who never spoke out of turn. A girl who did as she was told when she was told. Who expected nothing more that what she had been given and so never wished for it. But he didn’t have that, instead he had her. 

Because he was stuck with her. 

No, there was no point in going down that road. Here was a man who wanted her. Who wanted to marry her. A good man, a respectable one, a handsome one. Any young lady would kill to be in her position right now. They would be thrilled, so why couldn’t she? 

Happy people don’t think about that sort of thing. Happy people let themselves get ravaged in a gazebo. Happy people keep their mouths shut and their heads empty. It was easier that way. 

“Are you alright?” So caught up in her own catastrophizing, she hadn’t even noticed that Anthony had stopped kissing her. The desire in his eyes had now been replaced with nothing but concern. 

“Huh?” She frowned, still unsure as to why he had stopped. 

“You’re crying.” She put a hand to her face to be met with a wetness on her cheek that had not been there before. Goodness, he was right. 

Anthony sprung off her immediately, scrambling to put as much space between them as possible. In any other context, it would have been sweet. “Did I hurt you? Did you not like it? Did I push you too far?”

Dammit, he thought it was him. What was she thinking? No-one wants a bride who weeps at the very thought of kissing them. Especially someone who could get just about any lady in London to do far more salacious acts for far less. There was no way she could let him know the truth. “No, no, it wasn’t that.” She took his hand in hers and pressed a reassuring kiss to the knuckles.

Anthony brows furrowed, he still wasn’t entirely convinced. He placed his other hand on top of hers and leaned in. “Are you sure? You can tell me if was, it’s more than alright.”

No, it really wasn’t. He was a lord, she was to be his lady. What she had to say didn’t matter any more. It was time to get used it. She took a deep breath and, somehow, forced herself to smile. “I’m just so happy, is all.”

Just as she predicted, a rush of relief washed through him. He shook his head and laughed. “Who would’ve thought you were so sentimental?”

Once again, she didn’t know how to answer that. “What can I say? I am just full of surprises.” No more than to herself. 

He opened his arms and beckoned her to join him. “Come here, you little sap you.”

She made no objection as she fell into his embrace. Tucking her head under his chin, she snaked her arms around his waist as he wrapped his right arm over her shoulders. It hadn’t occurred to her until just then how badly she needed a hug. 

“I probably look a sight.” She muttered into his lapel. 

Anthony shook his head. “Impossible.” How could he possibly know that? He couldn’t even see her face. 

“You are remarkably good at this. Comforting people, I mean.”

Of course he was, he had over a decade of practice. Not that he could expect her to know that quite yet. “Please, I have seven younger siblings, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” Maybe, one day, he would tell her about it. They would be her family soon too, he quickly rationalised, she would have to know these things. 

She hummed in understanding. It didn’t surprise her all that much, he was the head of his family after all. Putting out fires was part of the job. “You can probably let me go now. I promise I won’t burst into further hysterics.”

But Anthony did not move an inch. If anything, his grip on her shoulder tightened. “Not until I see you smile.”

“Anthony-“

He wouldn’t hear it. “Either you smile or I’m not letting you go.”

Kate sighed, there was no point in arguing about it. He wasn’t going to rest until she did and her arm was starting to go numb. So, with an affectatious straightening of her spine, she turned and gave him her best begrudging smile.

This seemed to appease him, his grip loosening, not that she made any effort to escape it. Tucking his free hand under her chin, he tilted her head up and placed a tender kiss to her temple. “That’s my girl.”

She knew that the gesture was meant to comfort her, that he was trying to offer some reassurance. But somehow it just made her feel like a child. 

Before she could linger on that thought any longer, her attention was suddenly drawn away. Once it was, she could not stop herself from laughing, no matter how hard she tried. “Your neck.”

He frowned, trying to look down for a better look. “What about it?”

“It is a shambles.”

Sure enough, it was. Between all their “rigorous activities” his immaculately tied cravat had managed to come undone, now hanging limply from his collar. Her laughing finally subsided enough for her to begin to beckon him towards her. “Here, let me.”

“Do you know how to tie a cravat?” Despite his doubts, he obliged, tilting his chin upwards so that she might have a better view. 

“Yes.” She rolled her eyes, even when she was helping him, he had to tease her. 

“A horse collar tie does not count.”

That definitely annoyed her. “Yes, I know, I am not a cretin.”

The sceptical arch of his brow made it very clear that he didn’t believe her. Not that he thought she was a cretin, simply that she couldn’t tie a cravat. “If you must know, I used to help my father with them.”

That made him look back down to look at her and her sudden pensive expression. It didn’t surprise him that she would be thinking of her father today, of either of her parents really. All day he had been wondering what his father would have thought of all this, he didn’t doubt that she had been doing the exact same thing. How could they not?

“Well, in that case.” In one fluid movement, his hand was under the crook of her knees and pulling her onto his lap. “Work away.”

Kate rolled her eyes again, she would have expected nothing less. “Any requests, my lord?”

He tapped a finger to his chin, as if in deep contemplation. Also trying to ignore just how much he enjoyed the feeling of having her in his lap. “How about a Trone d’Amour?”

Ugh, of course he would choose the most austere knot. “Preposterous.”

“Why? Afraid you are not up to the task?” He leaned towards her, forcing her to grab onto his shoulders for balance, less she fall off. 

“No, because this fabric is nowhere near starched enough for one.” Not to mention the colour was entirely wrong. Even she knew that a Trone d’Amour tie could only be done using the purest of whites. 

He was practically pouting now, his hands wrapping around her waist to keep her steady. “But that’s what I want.” 

No, what he wanted was to tease her. And she wasn’t going to rise to the bait. “And I am saying it is not happening.”

“Shouldn’t it be my decision?”

“Not if it is a stupid one.” She jabbed a finger into his chest, forcing him to rest back against the chair. 

A thought struck him. “Which did he prefer? Your father?”

Kate paused. Not that she needed to, she immediately knew the answer. “The Osbaldeston.”

The Viscount seemed to approve. An unusual knot, but well-suited to a warm summer night. “He had excellent taste.”

It was strange, even now, after all the years, she could still see it as clear as day. The sunlight sneaking into Papa’s study, the earthy scent of his cologne, the azure sheen of his favourite cravat. She had never realised how much she missed those moments until just then. “Yes, he did.”

She rubbed at her eye, there had already been enough crying for that evening. Blinking some pesky tears away, she set to work on tying the peacock coloured fabric. Admittedly, it took her a tad longer than it should have. Her knot-tying skills were proving rustier than she had first thought.

Anthony couldn’t help but notice that she was struggling. “Do you need help?”

“Hush, I am thinking.” Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, it was so cute that he couldn’t resist. 

“It only loops round the once.”

“Yes! I know, thank you.” She accentuated her point with one final tug. Examining her handiwork, she would say that she had done a swell job, all things considered. 

He put his hands up in surrender, promising no more interruptions. “I was only checking. I am the one who has the wear it after all.”

Kate just shook her head as she pushed herself off of his lap and onto the empty spot beside him. “Well, if you hate it that much, you can get a valet to do it for you.”

He stretched out his arms, letting his right sit on the back of the chair behind her. “I could; but you smell nicer.”

“That is true.” Without another word, she rested against his side. 

“And you’re much cheaper.”

“Meh.” She gave him a knowing smirk. “Not if your mother has anything to say about it.”

“Touché.” Anthony rested against the back of the chaise-lounge to join her. As always, she had raised an excellent point. “That said, I probably should think about your wedding present, shouldn’t I? Isn’t that what husbands do?”

Kate didn’t look at him, intently focussing on her hands folded on her lap. “I wouldn’t know, I have never had a husband before.” He hadn’t given her an engagement ring. In all their discussions, it had not even come up once. 

She wondered if he would have bought Edwina a ring. 

His voice snapped her out of her daze as he gave her shoulder a gentle shake. “Come on, you must have thought about it.”

Maybe in the past she had. Didn’t all little girls think about this sort of thing from time to time? Not that she had ever expected to actually happen to her. Wedding planning had never been in the cards for her, not until now. Not until...

She suspected that some part of Anthony knew that. It was sweet of him, in a way, to entertain the idea for her sake. Even if they both knew that, under normal circumstances, he would never have had to. 

Kate smiled, willing herself to play along. There was no point in dwelling on it. “Well, I suppose I have some ideas.”

* * *

Of all the things Violet Bridgerton expected to see and hear when she walked in her eldest son and his new fiancée, raucous laughter was not one of them. 

The two were still seated on the chaise. More surprisingly, they were sitting in a respectable position. Although, Violet couldn’t help but think that her son had been wearing his cravat in a Waterfall knot when she had left the room. 

They appeared to be in the middle of a heated discussion. “And I want a diamond ring, obviously.”

“Obviously.”

The young lady had never struck her as the type for being fixated on material things such as jewellery. Had she misjudged her future daughter-in-law?

“I mean a big one, the biggest one you can find.” For reference, Kate raised her hands to indicate exactly what size she meant. “The size of a baby’s head.”

Anthony almost choked in disbelief. “A baby’s head?”

Kate readjusted her hands, closing the space between them ever so slightly. “Not a fat baby.” She clarified, “Just a little one.”

“Oh, then that’s much more manageable.” 

Oh, she was kidding. Thank Heavens, she had Violet worried there for a second. The young couple had yet to register her presence. Too caught up in their little game to realise that their chaperone was standing in the doorway. “And I want three houses; one for me, one for you, and one spare.”

“Oh, naturally.” Anthony nodded solemnly, keeping a remarkably straight face.

“Ooh, and I want an island too. Not an exotic one, just one of the tiny ones off of the coast of Scotland.” Kate was positively grinning from ear to ear. It was strange, just for a moment, she was the spitting image of her sister. 

Anthony threw his hands up in the air. They were clearly just saying anything that popped into their heads now. “Why don’t we throw a pony in there for good measure?”

Kate crossed her arms in disgust. “Oh, now you are just being unrealistic; Newton is terrified of horses.”

“Oh, I see.” He paused, as if in deep in thought. “So, ten ponies then?”

Kate gasped in fake outrage. Now that was what crossed the line. She gave him a lighthearted push. “I hate you.”

Anthony just rolled his eyes as she settled back against his side. Oh, so that was where Eloise had learned it from. “No, you don’t.” He told her, his eyes lighting up in a way that Violet had not seen for an awfully long time. 

Kate began to examine the hand that had found it’s way to her shoulder. To be honest, she had never taken much stock of mens’ hands before. But there was something about Anthony’s that made her heart flutter. They were so strong yet so gentle. Not to mention, nimble. A blush found it’s way to her cheek as she reached up to place a hand on top. It was a near perfect fit. She smiled softly before turning to face him again. “No, I suppose I don’t.”

Anthony didn’t say anything. Instead, he just gave her that look again. And, just for moment, Kate let herself believe it was true. After all, she was damned if she did and damned if she didn’t. Why not get some enjoyment out if it?

It’s what a happy person would do. 

It was at that moment that Violet realised that she was intruding upon a rather intimate moment. On something even more intimate than if she had caught the two of them in their undergarments. And she had really been expecting to see at least one of them in their undergarments. After what she had witnessed that morning, one could never be too careful. 

Louder than probably necessary, she cleared her throat. Their heads snapped up in shock at the sound. Looking as if he had just been struck, Anthony yanked his arm off of Kate’s shoulder and bolted up to stand at full attention. “Mother, how nice of you to join us.” He spluttered, trying much too hard to sound natural and failing miserably. 

Violet decided to let it slide. She had caught him doing much worse. “Come along, we have guests waiting.”

Anthony just nodded, knowing better than to push the subject. He turned around to over his expectant hand to Kate, who was still seated on the chaise. “Are you ready?”

Would she ever be ready? She looked up at Anthony. Was he? He had settled into the role of devoted groom so easily. Perhaps, too easily. Must be easy when one holds no great affection for the bride. Kate imagined that it made the pretending so much easier. 

Trapped or not, he had agreed to marry her. He was willing to play along with the farce, she saw that now. Maybe it was time to follow his lead? It had seemed to please him thus far. And wasn’t that the whole point of her now? To keep everyone else happy?

Whether they liked it or not, Kate Sheffield was a smart girl. If Anthony could see this for what it was, then she could to. So she would do what happy people do. She would play along. 

Taking her fiancé’s hand, she smiled. “Let us go and get you engaged, shall we?”


	7. like herding cats

Somehow, Eloise had managed to successfully corral her siblings into the family’s private drawing room. Well, except for Gregory and Hyacinth, who were tucked away in bed. And Anthony, who was Lord knows where. 

“Eloise, I swear, if this is about your theory that Lady Danbury is Whistledown again.” Oh yes, her brother-in-law was also there, glued to Daphne’s side on the settee. 

She brushed off his admonishment. There was no point in reopening that door. “No, although I still maintain that that was a perfectly valid theory, this is about something else.”

Huddling them all into their various seats, Eloise made sure to pause for effect. Diligent research was only part of it. It would’ve all been for nothing if she could not nail the delivery. Satisfied that she now had them figuratively, and in Benedict’s case, literally, hanging from the edge of their seats, she now decided that they had waited long enough. “Our brother is engaged.”

Colin was the first to react. “What? No I’m not.”

Without needed to be prompted, Benedict gave him a swift smack up the backside of his head. “She clearly means Anthony.”

“Oh.” Colin’s look of understanding quickly turned into that of even deeper confusion. “Wait, that’s not shocking. He’s made his intentions about Miss Edwina very clear. It was just a matter of time, was it not?”

Good lord, she really was the only one capable of critical thought in this family. Hopefully her future niece or nephew would take after the Basset side of the family. “No, no, no. You see, that’s not the shocking part.”

Now, that certainly seemed to spark their collective interest. With bated breath, they leaned even closer in. “He’s not engaged to Miss Edwina.” Pause for effect. “He’s engaged to Miss Kate.” Nailed it. 

Eloise had expected the stunned looks on their faces. She had expected the hush that fell across the room. But, of all the reactions that she had expected, the Duke of Hastings springing to his feet with a fist in the air was not one of them. Nor was his hollering of the words, “Oh, yes!” 

Colin seemed to take offence at that. “What? You don’t win!” You would almost forget that these were grown men. 

Simon was positively giddy now. “Oh yes I bloody well do. I said they’d be married by the end of May, tell them Fran.”

It should come to no surprise that, as the most detached and level-headed of them, Francesca had naturally been appointed the role of bookkeeper. “Simon is right, he did say the end of May.”

And with that, she just became his favourite sister-in-law. “Exactly, so time to pay the piper.” Eloise half-expected him to start dancing a victory jig any minute now. 

“Simon Basset!” Daphne was filled with what could only be described as maternal fury. Pulling herself up from the chair, she placed her hands firmly on her hips. Not even two months pregnant and she had already mastered the art of scolding. “Please tell me that you would not take part in something as childish as placing a wager on the marriage of your oldest and dearest friend? Not to mention, your darling wife’s brother?”

That most certainly stopped him in his tracks. Clearing his throat, Simon turned hesitantly to face her. Just as he had expected, she was positively fuming.“Daphne, my love, you know that I respect you too much to lie to you.”

She frowned, as much as she appreciated the compliment, Daphne was still waiting on the follow up to that statement. “And?”

“No, that was it.” Eloise had never seen a duke shrug before; today was proving to be just full of firsts. “I’m not going to stand here and lie to you while I take your brothers’ money.”

“Well-“ It was Benedict’s turn to interject. “-Technically, they’re not married yet. So no-one can really win until the pair of them have actually walked down the aisle.”

“Ben, stop encouraging him!” Daphne admonished as Simon helped her sit back down. She knew that she didn’t need the help to do so, but try telling her husband that. 

“Oh, please, Daff. You are just annoyed that you‘ve already lost.”

“Fran!”

If Francesca felt even remotely guilty for revealing her sister’s secret shame, she did not show it. “Hey, you are the one who said December, not I.”

Colin, to his credit, was still interested in finding out how exactly Eloise had come to learn of this development. “When did this even happen? Anthony has not spoken a word of this to me.” Leaning back to peer over Fran’s head, he looked to Simon. “Did he say anything to you.”

But his brother-in-law merely shook his head. “No, I’ve barely seen him today. Benedict?”

“Don’t look at me. I know better than to even attempt to fathom what goes on in that head of his. Of any of you really.”

Colin grimaced. “Why do I feel like that was directed at me?”

“If the shoe fits.”

“We are getting off track.” Of course Daphne would be the one to try to redirect focus back to the matter at hand. “Eloise, when did Anthony tell you?”

Ah, crumbs, she hadn’t been expecting that. “Oh, he didn’t tell me anything.”

“Oh, so Miss Kate then?” Benedict surmised. 

“Bit rude of her to tell you before me, I did meet her first.” Colin was the one who had introduced them after all. He would have thought they would have wanted to give him their thanks. You think you know someone. 

Eloise was starting to see that this was getting a tad out of hand. “No, she didn’t tell me either.” 

It was Fran who put two and two together. “Wait, so how do you know any of this?”

“Well...”

Colin pinched the bridge of his nose. She was talking out of her arse, wasn’t she? This whole ordeal was starting to give him a headache. “You guessed?”

His sister clearly took offense at that. “No, I utilised my deductive reasoning skills.”

“You guessed.” Once again, Fran proved herself to be the voice of reason. 

And there was Daphne with her matronly tone. “Eloise, please tell me you haven’t told Mama about this.” Next to her was Simon, who had (smartly) decided to stay out of it. 

“No, I haven’t.” She defensively crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Because, if you all would let me explain, she mysteriously summoned Kate and Anthony away before dessert was served.”

“What? Before the barberry ices?” Of course that was what it would take to make Colin see sense. “But Mother loves barberry ices.”

“I know!” Christ, it was like herding cats. 

As the oldest Bridgerton in the room, it was up to Benedict to try and keep the peace. “We still can’t know for certain that that is why she called them away.” Though he didn’t sound convinced. 

“Oh really?” The hands on Eloise’s hips told Benedict that she was about to make him feel quite stupid. “Then explain why Mrs Sheffield also went with them? What other possible reason would the four of them have for spending so much time together?”

“Fair point.” He conceded, there was no arguing with that logic. 

Before they could interrogate Eloise further, the butler had appeared in the doorway to inform them that tea was about to be served in the main drawing room and that their mother would be arriving shortly. And just like that, they were all ushered out into the hallway. 

Daphne was the last to leave the room. These days her (somewhat over) protective husband would not let her move faster than a brisk pace. She was lucky that they were with company; if Simon had it his way he would carry her. Falling in step with one another, he linked his arm with hers and turned to whisper in her ear. “December? Really?”

If it was not for the half dozen witnesses, Daphne would have stomped on his toes. “I wanted to see a white wedding, alright?”

Simon merely chuckled. He had thought as much.


	8. give them a show

A thought struck Eloise as their group approached the drawing room. Kate’s somber warning from earlier suddenly making a lot more sense in light of the new context. “Everyone needs to keep their composure.” She proclaimed suddenly, as they stopped to look at her. “For Kate’s sake, we should act pleasantly surprised but not flabbergasted.” 

Benedict rolled his eyes as they arrived at the door. Were the dramatics really necessary? “Come on, El, you sound like the girl is about to be fed to the wolves.”

“Isn’t she though?” Everyone turned to Colin, surprised that he would be the one to come to Eloise’s defence. “As someone who knows from experience, this evening will run much smoother if they feel like they have people on their side.”

It didn’t take Daphne long to realise what he was referring to. While Simon and herself hadn’t been there personally when Colin announced his ill-fated engagement to Marina Thompson, she had heard enough from her mother to know that it hadn’t gone down well. “Colin and Eloise are right. We should show our support as a family.” While she worded it like a suggestion, it was very much an order. She was becoming more and more like their mother everyday. “We have to make the two of them feel like we approve.”

“Which we do.” Fran stated plainly, confused as to why that would even be in doubt. They were announcing an engagement, how complicated could it be?

Daphne gave her a disapproving look. She still hadn’t forgiven her sister for letting slip the true nature of her wager. “Well I know that, and you know that, but we need to ensure that Kate knows that.”

It fell on Simon’s shoulders, once again, to break the tension. He had been to enough Bridgerton family dinners to know when it was time to step in. Standing behind her, he placed his hands on Daphne’s shoulders. “What I think your sister is trying to say is that Anthony would very much appreciate it if you were all on your best behaviour.”

“Thank you, darling.” She lifted her hand to cover his, giving it a grateful squeeze. It was so overwhelmingly sweet that Eloise had to fight the urge to gag. “So, do we have an understanding?”

This roused a chorus of begrudged fine’s. With the childish tone, you’d hardly believe that the majority of them were in their twenties. But at least they seemed to be in agreement. 

Benedict, rightfully, still had one pressing concern. “We’re still never going to let Anthony hear the end of this though, right?” He would hate to have wasted time coming up with all those taunts for nothing. They were going to be some of his best work. 

Daphne rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. “Yes, obviously, Benedict. We’re not simpletons.”

Before he could shoot back an equally witty retort, his eyes landed on their dear mother, who was making her way through the crowd towards them. Alone. 

Without a word, she ushered them from out of the doorway. Why did her children always have to lurk about? They had company. “And where, pray tell, have you all been?”

Despite her better judgement, Eloise couldn’t help herself. “Funny, Mama, I wanted to ask you the same thing.” She said, feigning innocence. Or at least, she was trying to.

Perhaps, on any other night, Violet Bridgerton would have pretended to not have heard that comment. She would have let it slide, writing it off as another one of her children’s loveable, if not infuriating, quirks. But this was not going to be one of those nights. “Bed”, was all she said in response. 

Fran couldn’t hide her laughter at the irony. Eloise had been the first to discover the engagement, now she wouldn’t be able to gloat at the announcement. You had to find humour wherever you could. But, sadly, her joy at her sister’s misfortune did not go unnoticed by their mother whose attention quickly turned towards her. “You as well, Francesca.”

“What did I do?” Fran asked, throwing her hands in the air as she did. What, was having a sense of humour a crime now? You could not win with these people. 

“Be born after her.” She pointed to the door. Clearly, the matter was not up for debate. “Upstairs, now.”

While she would never admit it to anyone who hadn’t been there to witness it, Fran dutifully sulked out the door. Meanwhile, Eloise desperately turned to her older siblings for support, mentally imploring one of them to come to her aid. But, none of them said a word in her defence. Cowards. 

With a heavy heart, she shuffled out the door after Fran. Daphne gave a sympathetic shrug and leaned in to whisper to her as she walked past. “I’ll tell you the details after.”

Eloise sighed in defeat, it was better than nothing. “Take notes.” And with that, only four of the Bridgerton siblings remained. Well, in theory. Their eldest brother had yet to appear. Not that any of them wanted to question it. Grown adults or not, none of them wanted to suffer the same fate as Eloise and Fran. 

No, they would have to approach the situation with far more grace and tact. So, naturally, the job fell to Daphne. “Mother, have you seen Anthony anywhere?” She titled her head, looking befuddled. “I have not seen him since dinner.” 

Simon hid his smirk behind his hand. Christ, she was good. As expected, their mother took the bait. “He had some urgent business to attend to, dearest. He should be coming shortly.”

“I bet.” Simon mumbled. Even if she had heard him, it wasn’t like Violet could send him to bed. “Speak of the devil.” 

Sure enough, there he was, appearing in the centre of the room. And there was Kate, not too far behind. Lord, the poor girl looked like she was about pass out any minute now from the stress. 

Anthony seemed to notice this, turning to take her hand in his and tell her what must have been words of comfort. Whatever he said, it must have worked, as Kate’s whole body seemed to relax. While it was hard to tell from across the room, it seemed like she was smiling now, her eyes never breaking away from his. Ugh, why didn’t he just kiss her? It would have been less awkward for his siblings to look at than whatever that was. 

Everyone pretended not to notice the not-so-subtle look Anthony gave their mother, nor the gesture he made with his head towards him and Kate. The man had clearly never learned the meaning of the word “inconspicuous”.

But Violet was more than happy to play along with their little charade. “That reminds me, I need to speak to him before tea is served.” She made sure to give them a pointed look before she left. “Do not go anywhere.” They knew why she said it. 

And before they could question her further on the matter, she had gone to join the couple across the room. At least, they assumed they were a couple, Eloise’s theory had yet to be proven true. Although it did seem like it was now or never. 

Careful not to draw too much attention to their little viewing party, Benedict turned to his brother-in-law with as much subtlety as he could. “Alright, Basset, get ready to put your money where your mouth is.” He murmured, wary of anyone else hearing. Lady Whistledown had eyes everywhere, after all. 

“I can take my winnings by cash or cheque.” Simon chuckled, turning his head to look down at Daphne, whose hand had taken its rightful spot in the crook of his arm. He gave it a consolatory pat, but it was clearly far more teasing than comforting. “Don’t worry, darling, I’ll consider your wager an early anniversary gift.”

Daphne gasped, as if she was truly touched by the extent of his sacrifice. She even brought a hand to her chest for added effect. “Aw, that is most kind of you, my love. And all got you was the tiny human life that is growing inside of me.” She didn’t like to play the pregnancy card often, but on the rare occasions she did, she made it count. 

Simon smiled, reaching down to place a hand against her still flat stomach. A gift indeed. “Call it even?”

Daphne arched her brow in what could only be described as a Bridgerton-esque manner and placed her hand over his. “You think you have a choice?” 

Fair enough. 

Lost in their own little world, the happy couple were completely oblivious to the fact that Benedict Colin were still very much there and had very much witnessed their whole interaction. Horrified as he was, Colin could not seem to pull his gaze away from their odd display. He leaned towards his brother, who was as equally transfixed. “What is wrong with married people?” He whispered, not really caring if they heard. 

Benedict just shrugged. “I don’t know and, at this point, I am afraid to ask.”

* * *

Oh good God, it was happening. 

To say that Kate was panicking would be a bit of an understatement. It was taking every ounce of strength she had to not turn on her heels and run back out the door. Knowing her, she’d probably trip and knock herself out cold. Which, honestly, might have been a welcomed relief at this point. Anything to not have to deal with the crowd that was milling into the main drawing room. 

Could people tell that she was on the verge of a breakdown, she wondered. Probably not, right? Christ, she hoped not. Lady Bridgerton seemed to have invited half of the bloody ton to Aubrey Hall, the last thing Kate needed was to make even more of a spectacle of herself in front of them. 

Her intended sure didn’t seem to mind all the attention. Not that she should’ve been surprised. Anthony was a Bridgerton, after all. They were happily seated at the apex of high society. Bridgertons didn’t care what other people had to say about them. Other people cared about what the Bridgertons said about them. Must have been nice, to have the luxury to rise above it all. 

But Kate wasn’t a Bridgerton, not yet anyway. Besides, she knew that a surname wouldn’t be enough to protect her from the stares and whispers she would in no doubt have to endure tonight. People were going to have questions, reservations, and they were not going to keep those thoughts to themselves. 

Where was Edwina? She had barely seen her all day. All she wanted in that moment was for her sister to hold her hand, flash her that calming smile and tell her that everything would be fine, even if they both knew it wasn’t true. This was meant to be one of the most important moments of her life, didn’t Edwina deserved to hear the news from Kate personally? At least to stop her from being completely blindsided. 

She had to say something. The new “Happy” Kate be damned. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she turned to whisper to her intended. “Anthony, I don’t think-“

But Anthony just took her hands in his and gave them a reassuring squeeze. He knew she would be nervous, this was still her first season after all. She didn’t have as much experience with navigating social currents as he did. It was natural for Kate to have her trepidations. As the more experienced of the two, it only made sense that he would take the lead, didn’t it? “No need to worry, I have everything under control.”

Including her, it would seem. For the second time that night, Kate felt less like a beautiful bride-to-be and more like a child that needed to be placated. 

“Just breathe, it will be over before you know it.” He told her, giving her a knowing smile. The hardest part would soon be behind them, they just had to grin and bear it. Soon they’d be able to move on to much more entertaining part of an engagement. 

He did have a point, she supposed. Carrying all that stress could not be good for her. And so, Kate exhaled, her entire body deflating with her. It was only once he had said it had she realised how tensely she had been holding herself. It felt good to unclench her jaw and let her shoulders loosen. Even if she didn’t feel all that relaxed, at least it would be easier to seem like she was. And that was almost as good as the real thing, right? 

Kate smiled and gave him an assured nod. It was easier to do that than lie to him. And it seemed to work, as he leaned in and gave her a sly grin. He was clearly having some fun with this. “Let’s give them what them what they came here for, shall we?”

Funny, Kate thought, how he said “we”. It almost implied that she had any say in the matter. 

But now was not the time nor the place. So she bit her tongue and smiled. She imagined that she would be doing a lot of that tonight, might as well get into the habit. 

It was Anthony who spotted his mother across the room, talking to his siblings. Three of them, if you didn’t count Simon. Which was strange, because Fran and Eloise’s bedtime was not for another hour. All the late nights must have been catching up with them, he supposed as he gestured for his mother to come join them. 

While she had seemed to have relaxed slightly, he could tell that Kate was still nervous. The sooner they got this over with, the better. He had seen plenty of enough engagement announcements for the both of them, he was more than capable of taking the lead. 

And there was his mother, practically vibrating in anticipation. He was starting to fear what would happen if she had to keep the news to herself for much longer. The woman may just swoon from the sheer excitement of it all. “Are you ready?” She asked.

Anthony knew there was only one appropriate answer to her question. He looked to his betrothed, expecting that she already knew that. Sure enough, she did. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Out of habit, he asked, “You’re sure?”, already knowing her answer. 

But then, for the tiniest moment, he saw it. The slightest of hesitations. The far-off look in her eyes. The subtle tensing of her brow. But as quick as he had seen it, it was gone again. Replaced with the brightest of smiles, as if it was meant just for him. “Of course.” She shrugged plainly, as if she was absolutely certain. 

But was she?

Before he could linger on that thought, however, his mother was ushering him forward. “Go on, dear!” She told him as she took Kate’s arm and linked her arm with hers. With one last look over his shoulder, he began to make his way to the front of the room. 

Must have been his imagination. 

Pushing that niggling doubt to the back of his mind, he turned his attention back to the matter at hand. He still had a job to do. “Everyone, if I could please have a moment of your time.” As expected, everyone stoped and turned at the sound of his voice. Right on cue. 

“First, on behalf of my family and myself, I once again wish to show my gratitude that you could all join us this past week. It has truly been a joy to have you all here.” Well, some of them, at least. Trying his best to avoid Portia Featherington’s knowing smirk, he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead. “Which is why I am very happy to announce that Miss Sheffield and I are to be married.”

A hush fell across the room. It hadn’t been the reaction that he had been expecting, but stunned silence was still a response. Then, slowly but surely, the guests began to look away, their eyes landing on a very confused Edwina Sheffield. 

It didn’t take long for Edwina, who had been in the middle of a conversation with her mother, to put two and two together. Anthony supposed that, on some level, she had already known where his true feelings lay. She was Kate’s sister, after all, of course she was clever. He expected nothing less from someone that Kate held in such high-esteem. Which is probably why she was currently staring daggers at him on her dear older sister’s behalf, unimpressed by his completely avoidable faux pas. It was soon becoming clear that if he didn’t say something, Edwina would. 

“Miss  _ Katharine _ Sheffield.” He quickly corrected. 

Before Kate had any clue what was happening, Violet was behind her to give her a delicate shove towards Anthony. Once she was within his reach, he took her hand in his and raised it for all to see. Anthony seemed utterly unfazed by the slight hiccup. She, on the other hand, looked mortified. And the crowd’s silent stares were almost deafening. Kate tried her best to hide her wince. 

Somebody, kill her now.


	9. no harm done

It was Colin, God bless him, who was the first to clap. Edwina was quick to follow his lead, as did the other Bridgertons. Then sweet Penelope. Soon enough, the entire room had burst into applause. 

While the worst of it seemed to be over, Kate still wished for the floor to open up beneath her and swallow her whole. It was mortifying. It had taken all of her strength to not turn and flee. An all too familiar urge, it would seem. But she couldn’t let them see that. All eyes were on her now. They would be for the rest of the night. The rest of her life, in fact. Her composure was all she had. 

It didn’t take Anthony long to realise his error. He hadn’t said her full name. Gah, what was wrong with him?Just because Kate was the first woman he thought of whenever he heard the name “Miss Sheffield” did not mean that everyone else did the same. Of course they were going to be confused. 

Speaking of Kate, she still hadn’t said anything. Despite his faux pas, she had not faltered. Instead, she carried on smiling and waving to the crowd of applauding guests with an unspoken grace. She was a natural. As much as the girl claimed to hate being the centre of attention, Anthony had to admit, it certainly suited her. 

Still, he had to set matters right. Turning only slightly, so that no-one else would notice, he whispered to her. “I must apologise.”

Not breaking her gaze from their guests, she just gave her head the slightest of shakes. “No need, I’m fine.” Without missing a beat, she returned to her waving. 

Her response had shocked him. Of all the reactions he had predicted, Kate simply letting the slight against her go was not one of them. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.” She finally lowered her hand and turned to face him. Beaming up at him, she just shrugged blithely. “It was a simple mistake, no harm done.” 

He still did not seem convinced. Obviously she was lying, but he didn’t need to know that. Here she was trying to be bright and breeze, follow the path of least resistance, and he had to go and ask about “how she really feels.” She would have to deflect, quickly. “So what happens now?”

That seemed to do the trick. Anthony smiled back down at her as he gestured to the many guests that had begun to approach them. “Are you ready to face the masses?”

“Is that a rhetorical question?”

“You’ll be fine. Just follow my-” His words of encouragement died on his tongue as a crimson figure made its way through the crowd towards them. “Oh, bugger.” He muttered. “My apologies in advance.”

Alright, he had her worried now. The man sounded like they were preparing for war, not a party guest. “What on earth for?” 

She soon got her answer when he proclaimed. “Lady Danbury!”

In fairness, his reaction was entirely appropriate given the context. Agatha Danbury tended to have that effect on people. Even Kate knew of her legendary, if not fearsome, reputation. The woman was basically Chaos personified. There was never any knowing what she might do. 

“Lord Bridgerton, might I be the first to offer my sincerest congratulations.” True to form, this was immediately followed with a wink. “And that I thought this day would never come.”

It was strange to see how Anthony fell back into the role of Viscount Bridgerton, as he gave her a dutiful bow. “Why thank you Lady Danbury, it is always a pleasure.”

The older woman turned her attention to Kate. With one slender, gloved finger, she beckoned for the girl to come closer. “Now come on, young lady, let me have a look at you.”

Slightly terrified by the summoning, Kate turned to Anthony, hoping he might come to her aid. But he just shrugged, equally perplexed, and gestured for her to present her as asked. He was not going to be the one to tell the Lady Danbury “No”; he had at least some sense of self preservation. Kate was on her own. 

Coward. 

Since her intended was going to be of no help to her, Kate resigned herself to her fate and stepped forward so as to present herself. Once she had done so, the older woman reached out a hand gently hold Kate’s chin with her index finger and thumb. The three stood there in silence as she examined Kate, every so often manoeuvring the young girl’s head from side to side then up and down. 

Finally, Lady Danbury nodded to herself. “Not bad, not bad at all.”

“Thank-you?” Kate whispered, not sure if she was meant to be talking as they did this, Lady Danbury’s hand still grasping her chin, holding her in place. 

“Not you, dear, I was speaking to your intended.” She nodded her head in Anthony’s direction, having no issue with letting him no they were talking about him. “Lord knows the lad needs a girl with a good head on her shoulders.”

Clearly pleased with her astute observation, she released Kate’s chin, placed her hand on her shoulder, and leaned forward to murmur in her ear. “Don’t know how you trapped him, but it must have been a neat trick.” She then raised an all-too-knowing brow. “There are a few gels out there who wouldn’t mind taking lessons from you, mark my words.”

And there it was, the first innuendo of the night. Kate couldn’t help but think that that would be the first underhanded remark of many. At least she knew that Lady Danbury hadn’t said it out of pure malice. The woman merely had no qualms about making her true feelings known; total strangers included. It was nothing personal. 

Which is why Kate gave her her most gracious smile and stared the woman down. “I am a fortunate girl.” She beamed. Something told Kate that she would be respected more if she looked the older woman in the eye. 

Lady Danbury didn’t respond right away. Somewhat taken aback by how quickly Kate had recovered from the comment. She just looked her up and down, not saying anything for the longest time. Oh Christ, had she just slighted Agatha Danbury? Forget about the wedding, Mary needed to start planning her funeral. 

Out of nowhere, Lady Danbury burst out laughing. Kate had no clue what about her comment had been funny, but it was better than having the woman be cross with her. “That’s what I like to hear.” She let out a sigh before murmuring to herself. “Shame you couldn’t have waited until August to land him. Now I am out twenty Guineas.”

Wait, what was that last part? 

Kate frowned, not understanding what she could have meant by that last comment. “Pardon?”

But before Kate could press her further, Lady Danbury was already on her way. Without looking back, the dowager raised a hand to wave goodbye. “Ta ta, dear!”

Once he was certain that Lady Danbury was no longer in ear shot, Anthony took Kate’s arm in his. “What just happened?”

“I don’t know.” Kate frowned. “However, I feel like the butt of a joke.”

“Completely natural. You speak to the woman enough times and you become acclimatised to the feeling.” He was lying, of course. Being at the expense of one of Lady Danbury’s “jokes” never got any easier. 

Sooner or later, everyone grew to accept that. 

* * *

“Be civil.”

“I am not the one we need to worry about.”

“You can at least try.”

Kate thought that the worst was over. After going toe to toe with Lady Danbury and coming out (physically) unscathed, dealing with the rest of Lady Bridgerton’s guests seemed far less of an insurmountable task. She liked to think that she was handling things well. Smiling and nodding and pretending that all the backhanded compliments about how “surprised” people were when they heard the news didn’t make her die a little bit on the inside. It had seemed like they were going to get through the evening without it ending in disaster. 

That is, that’s what she had thought until a certain redheaded matriarch began to make her way towards them. Then it became more and more likely that the evening could end in fisticuffs. 

With the hand that had been tucked in the crook of his elbow all evening, she can gave her intended’s upper arm a reassuring squeeze. “Please? For me?”

Anthony gave a defeated sigh. From the world-weary air about him, one would’ve thought that she had asked him to clear out the stables as opposed to adhering basic social etiquette. “Fine.”

Kate beamed, happy to have gotten her way. “You’re a saint.” 

If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought she spotted Anthony sticking his tongue out at her from the corner of her eye. But before she could tell for sure, he had already begun to greet Mrs Featherington as she appeared before them, Penelope following closely behind her. 

True to his word, Anthony remained civil. “Mrs Featherington, how lovely to see you again.” He bowed, trying his best to keep his tone neutral. 

The older woman seemed willing to play along, as she curtsied in return. “Lord Bridgerton, Miss Sheffield. I do believe congratulations are in order.” She crooned. “We were so thrilled when we heard the news, weren’t we, Penelope?”

“Yes, Mama.” Penelope smiled. One of the first genuine smiles Kate had seen the whole night. “It really is such wonderful news. I am so happy for you both.” She giggled as a thought occurred to her. “At least now I know why you seemed to skittish before supper, Miss Kate. I cannot imagine the stress of sitting on such a secret.”

And just when Kate had thought that they would manage to get through this conversation without incident; Portia Featherington had to go and open her stupid mouth. Honestly, did the woman have a death wish?

“Do not sell Miss Sheffield so short, Penelope. I think you’ll be surprised by how well she can keep a secret.” She flashed a saccharine sweet smile. “Don’t you agree, Lord Bridgerton?”

If there was one thing Penelope Featherington knew, it was people. One of the perks of being a wallflower, she supposed. Instead of wallowing in her sorrows, she chose to take it as a unique opportunity. Sitting on the sidelines gave her the chance to watch, to listen. 

As such, she had developed a keen sense of observation. Which was how she could now pinpoint the exact moment at which someone could no longer tolerate her mother’s presence. And, with that last comment, Anthony Bridgerton had quite clearly reached his limit.

Before her mother had the chance to dig her own grave even deeper, Penelope had already linked their arms. “Mama, I am sure the happy couple have plenty of other guests to see, we do not want to take up too much of their time.” Fearing her mother’s protests should they linger for too long, she had already begun to drag her away. This was not her first time avoiding a disaster, after all. 

She gave them a quick curtsy.“Congratulations once again, my Lord. Miss Sheffield.” And, with that, she steered her mother back into the crowd. 

Anthony made sure to wave them off as they left. “Good night, Miss Penelope.” Prompted by a not-so-subtle clearing of Kate’s throat, he followed this up with, “And to you, Mrs Featherington.”

Penelope glanced back over her shoulder and flashed an apologetic smile. In return, Kate mouthed a silent, “Thank you.”

The redhead just gave a bemused wink before mouthing back the words, “You owe me.” Worried that her mother may notice, she quickly snapped her head back around. 

Kate couldn’t help but laugh at that. It was the first time she had felt truly at ease all evening. Pen just seemed to have that effect on people. “Lovely girl, our Penelope.” She mused. 

“Indeed.” Anthony nodded. “Must be adopted.”

If they were not so exposed, she surely would have smacked him on the arm for that last comment. “You’re terrible.” She admonished. 

Yet, despite her harsh words, he could still hear the grin in her voice. “Oh come off it, you can’t say the thought hasn’t crossed your mind.”

Kate would not deign that question with a response. Because Penelope had been a good friend to her and to do so would be cruel. He was also right. But it was mainly the cruelty thing. “Have you seen that gorgeous red hair? That girl is pure Featherington.”

“And yet, on the inside, she is nothing like her mother.” He grinned, clearly thinking that he had bested her. “How do you explain that?”

She fell quiet for a moment. Anthony just smiled even more, relishing in the fact that he was finally witnessing the Kate Sheffield left without a witty retort. 

But then, suddenly, she spoke. 

“Because she chooses to be.” Realising that Anthony expected her to follow up that statement, she continued. “It is easy to be good and kind when that is all the world has ever shown you.” She turned her attention back to the crowd, speaking more to herself now than to him. “But to experience hardship and misfortune like she has and still choose to be kind? That is far more admirable.”

Anthony made no comment. He just watched her as she stood there, clearly lost in thought. If he were a romantic man, which he wasn’t, he would say that he liked her best like this. In the quiet interludes. Catching her in the tiny moments when she thought no-one else was looking. The hint of smile in the corner of her mouth. The faraway look in her eye. 

An even more romantic man would relish in the fact that he would be the only one to catch these glimpses of her. To see the girl behind all the bravado and terrible taste in pets. That he could grow to look forward to those momentary glances. Grow to love them, even.

But not him, of course. 

Because he wasn’t a romantic. 

So, he did not tell her any of that. Instead, all he said in response was, “And here I thought you hated philosophy.”

It was strange. She knew that he was insulting her. She knew that she should have felt offended. And yet, when he looked at her like that, with those kind eyes and that gentle smile, she felt anything but offended. All she could feel was her breath hitch in her throat and her heart pang with the deep ache of something. 

However, Kate didn’t know what to think about that. Let alone what to say. So she did the only thing she could think of; she scolded him. 

“Hush, you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on tumblr @thesadieb

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who were asking, the dress Kate is wearing is based on a piece in the Met. You can find it here: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/82139?rpp=60&pg=30&ao=on&ft=*&deptids=8&img=5
> 
> You can also find me on tumblr @thesadieb


End file.
